


Pretend for me

by coralinejones



Category: Twenty One Pilots, idk ??? - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, I'll add more tags as the story continues, M/M, i want this to be happy okay? so i promise no sad endings or angst, okay maybe a bit of angst we will see
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 06:55:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17699708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coralinejones/pseuds/coralinejones
Summary: josh asks tyler to pretend to be his boyfriend /high school AUalso known as ~ tyler and josh are both 17 and josh comes up with a really stupid idea that might change their whole friendship ~





	1. DUN WITH JOSH

**Author's Note:**

> hi guys! :)   
> i just want to say that this is a 2 years old fanfic that i've once written, so i apologize if it's shit or cringey. but i've recently found it on my old profile and decided to continue it because i really miss writing and this one is kind of promising, and also because i really got into tøp again recently, so this is why i'm publishing it now. :) hope you like it! the first few chapters were written 2 years back and are only corrected now, but the upcoming chapters will be newly written.   
> it's written in first person but i might actually rewrite the whole thing in third person, idk, let me know in the comments please :)
> 
> also important thing!! ---> i just want to say that i absolutely respect the relationships between tyler and jenna and josh and debby and also the friendship between tyler and josh ! this fic is 100% meant to be fictional. i don't really ship joshler because it feels weird shipping irl people but i really like the fictional tyler and josh characters that are usually created in AU fics, so that's why. if that makes sense haha.

🌮Tyler🌮

"my name's tyler joseph, i really like music and taco bell."

that's how i introduced myself at my new school when i moved to ohio.   
i was expecting some laughs from the back row of the classroom, but no one really cared about what i was saying.

that was 4 years ago,   
now i'm that nice and shy guy that everyone kinda likes but no one really talks to.   
but i don't really care, i have my two very good friends and that's all i need.

my first friend is ashley.   
she has long, really nice, blue hair and she talks a lot.

my second friend is josh.   
josh and i became friends on the second day of my first week at this school, because i couldn't find my classroom and he was late to the same class that day, so we went together.   
we talked at lunch the next week and found out that we actually have a lot in common, so we started talking even more and became best friends very soon.

don't get me wrong, i love ashley and she's a great friend, but she will never be like josh. no one will ever be like josh.   
josh makes me laugh even when i think about ending everything, he always knows what to talk about and his smile makes me believe that everything will get better.

that's the reason why we've been best friends for 4 years and never had a serious argument.

but best friends always come with problems too and josh,... well, he wasn't a problematic kid, but he got into some shit sometimes and when he did, well, then it was kind of a huge problem.

once when we were 15, he came to my house with a pack of cigarettes and a lighter with the words that he wants to try it out to see if it's really as disgusting as his friend said. long story short; we almost set my whole room on fire.

but apart from these 'few times a month' problems, everything was great.

as i said earlier, that was 4 years ago, now i'm 17 but everything's still the same; josh and ashley are my only friends at school, i still don't seem to understand physics and i still like music and taco bell.

well, everything's the same except for the fact that josh came out to me as bi today.   
and not in a kinda normal, lowkey way. because he's josh dun and he always has to surprise me, he texted me at 3am this morning.

nothing like 'hey tyler, i need to talk to you,....blah blah blah stuff...,' no, his text was VERY simple; 'ty, u still up? i think im bi'.   
and that was it.

i still don't know how to reply. it's 5am now and i've been sitting on my bed for the past 2 hours, thinking of the right way to deal with a text like this one.

maybe 'okay, thank you for sharing' or 'im happy for u,' would be a good way to reply.   
i'm a bit nervous.   
i mean, it won't change our friendship, that's not the problem, but i still think that it'll be a change. or maybe not. maybe i'm just making a big deal out of it for no reason. that would be typical.

i rub my eyes and decide that i really have to get the 2 remaining hours of sleep or i'm not gonna survive school, so i quickly type a reply and turn my phone off, before getting back under my blanket and falling asleep immediately.

Jish👽:  
ty, u still up? i think im bi

King of tacos🌮:   
k.


	2. PLEASE STOP TALKING

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys! :)   
> i just want to say that this is a 2 years old fanfic that i've once written, so i apologize if it's shit or cringey. but i've recently found it on my old profile and decided to continue it because i really miss writing and this one is kind of promising, and also because i really got into tøp again recently, so this is why i'm publishing it now. :) hope you like it! the first few chapters were written 2 years back and are only corrected now, but the upcoming chapters will be newly written.   
> it's written in first person but i might actually rewrite the whole thing in third person, idk, let me know in the comments please :)
> 
> also important thing!! ---> i just want to say that i absolutely respect the relationships between tyler and jenna and josh and debby and also the friendship between tyler and josh ! this fic is 100% meant to be fictional. i don't really ship joshler because it feels weird shipping irl people but i really like the fictional tyler and josh characters that are usually created in AU fics, so that's why. if that makes sense haha.

🌮Tyler🌮

let's just say that the 2 hours of sleep weren't enough for me and that waking up for school felt like dying.

but i still somehow made it in time into the school bus and found a nice seat next to my friend, ashley.

ashley smiles at me when she finally notices me, pulling her heaphones out of her ears and putting them into her small colorful backpack.

"hey ty. you look like you need a whole day just full of sleeping." she chuckles and hugs me around my shoulder. i just smile and shrug.

"yeah, i was dealing with some stuff until really late, so..."

ashley nods, knowing that if i don't say something, there's no chance of getting it out of me, but she still tries sometimes.

"any chance of you telling me what happened? is it about josh?" she asks curiously, one of her arms still around my shoulder.

i sigh and look at my hands.   
this is something that should stay just between me and josh until he wants to share it, i shouldn't talk about it with anyone, right? yeah, i definitely shouldn't. 

"uhm, i can't really tell you, ash. i'm sorry, you'll have to ask josh yourself."

ashley smirks.

"so it's really about josh. hmmm, are you guys finally dating?" she asks and i choke on air.

"w-what?" i manage to stutter while trying not to choke to death.

ashley laughs and shruggs.

"well, you know, you both look at each other that type of way that looks like you might be secretly fucking, so i'm just curious, because as your best friend, i should know this type of stuff, you know?"

she starts talking too much again and usually i don't really mind, i love when she's talking too much, because at least i don't have to talk.  
but this time it's different, this time i really wish she would stop talking.

i finally look into her eyes again, probably looking really scared, because she chuckles and pats my shoulder.   
"c'mon ty, i don't mean to interrogate you or some shit, i'm just curious. i know it's none of my bussiness, but i'd be super happy for you if you started dating someone."

"ash, you know i'm not interested in boys, right? i mean, yeah josh is really good looking and there's no doubt he would be a great boyfriend, i mean, he just cares about other people so much and he's also super nice. also have you seen him shirtless? i mean, i obviously haven't seen him shirtless, but i bet he'd look good if i have. i mean, friends see each other shirtless all the time, right? but he's really so so nice, but that's why we're best friends and even though we could theoretically date now, since josh swings that way, but i don't, so we won't. please stop suggesting this?"

i manage to talk all my feelings out in the matter of seconds and ashley just keeps staring at me with her mouth slightly opened. shocked. 

"so, josh's gay?" she asks, looking like she migh either pass out or start a party.

oh. shit. i just told her my best friend's important secret. i'm the worst person on this whole planet. the absolute worst. josh deserves so much better.

ashley opens her mouth to say something, but right before saying it she decides against it and turns her head towards the person approaching us in the bus.

i turn my head that way as well, just in time to see my best friend josh.

shit. i didn't even notice the bus stop in the next neighbourhood.

josh walks to us and smiles happily, showing his nice teeth.   
his hair is a light green color which is slowly starting to fade away. it suits him.

"were you two talking about me again?" josh asks and chuckles when he sees our surprised faces staring back at him.

i want to reply but ashley's way faster than me.

"yeah, actually tyler just told me something very interesting about you."

josh looks at me and raises his eyebrow, a playful smirk still on his face. i hate ashley's constant teasing, this is unbelievable! why would she say that?!

"oh really? what did he say about me?" he asks, looking right into my eyes.

i'm pretty sure i'm blushing by now. the stare he's giving me is something new, something i haven't seen before. it creates the butterflies in my stomach.

ashley smiles. "that's a secret."

the ride to school felt like eternity to me.   
i was quiet the whole time and josh was too.

ashley of course took the chance and spent the whole bus ride talking about a movie she saw in the cinema last week and how she liked the actors and ended up explaining the whole plot to us.

josh was listening to her and politely nodding his head from time to time, but i noticed how he's been watching me the whole time, as if he was trying to figure out what's going on inside my head.   
it made me nervous.

the bus stops right in front of our high school and we exit it.

ashley hugs us goodbye as she walks away into one of the buildings for her art class.   
me and josh have chemistry together as the first class.

we walk into the building silently, the awkward silence becoming more and more annoying.

josh pulls me aside right in front of the main entrance into the building and looks at me. he looks worried.

"ty, what's wrong? is it about the text? is it about me being bi?" he asks urgently, holding my arm.

i shake my head.

"no, it's not about you being bi, trust me, i'm super happy for you and i'm glad you told me, it's just,.. you know what? it's nothing important. i'm just stressed about the math test today." i reply and fake a smile.

josh doesn't look convinced at all. he knows me too well, even i know that. but instead of pushing on me, he decides to just nod and smile back.

"ok, but you know you can talk to me anytime, right?"

i nod too. not really sure what else to say to make the whole situation better.

i always felt like i could tell josh absolutely anything and i always did, but now this feeling has been slowly disappearing and i have no idea why.


	3. LATE NIGHT CHATTING

🌮Tyler🌮

the whole week flew by quickly. 

i messed up my math test, went to the cinema with ashley and josh to see the movie she couldn't stop talking about,  and had another conversation with josh, in which i once again falsely reassured him that everything is okay and that i'm fine. 

 

the next month were the fall holidays and i went on a skiing trip with my family. 

it was quite nice. 

i had a lot of time to think about things, my feelings and the reason why i've been feeling so weird for the past few months. 

i've been experiencing this kind of weird feelings that something was wrong or missing. 

i came to the conclusion that it was because of josh and because of his coming out text, because since that evening, i've been feeling some sort of way and it made me feel weird.

 

i returned just 2 days before josh's 17th birthday. 

his parents prepared this whole super cool birthday party and invited a bunch of people. 

i don't really like parties, but this one was okay. 

i gave josh a bracelet with little glow in the dark alien faces and he absolutely loved it. 

the birthday party wasn't really long, and after a few hours, i was the only one who stayed at josh's house. 

his parents were out, and his siblings were watching a movie downstairs, so i suggested playing some mario kart in his small bedroom. 

 

i was sitting next to josh on his bed, obviously beating him at the game once again. 

"oh come on! why are you so much better at this than me?!" josh asks furiously and i almost die from laughing. 

i was having a lot of fun. i felt happy.

after playing some more, we decided to put on some music and just lie on the bed, because staring at the plain white cealing sounded okay. 

"josh?" 

"mmhm?" 

"is it okay if i stay overnight? i don't feel like walking home after drinking this much."

josh chuckles. 

"you drank one can of coke, tyler. i'm pretty sure you're sober enough to walk, but sure, i don't mind."   
josh replies, rolling onto his side and blessing me with one of those beautiful smiles. 

i felt so happy with him. 

my eyes fix on his lips for a long second and an idea quickly appears on my mind. 

an idea which suggested to kiss the beautiful lips. 

shit. 

i shouldn't be thinking about my best friend's lips. 

wait.   
im ovethinking again.   
no stress. stress ruins friendships. 

at least, that's what i read on the internet. 

josh notices my worried expression and touches my hand briefly, sending shivers down my spine. 

"ty, everything ok?" 

i nod quickly and fake a smile. 

"yeah, don't worry." i reply and lie on my back again. 

josh stares at me for a few seconds, as if he was trying to figure me out, and then rolls onto his back again too. 

the truth is, since that day josh came out and ashley asked if we were dating, i just couldn't stop thinking about him. 

i've been questioning my sexuality for a long time a few years back, and then i told myself to stop. 

i didn't want to be different, but this just made it more relevant again. 

last week i caugh myself looking at josh's lips, then i had an embarrassingly real dream about him, and then my staring during lunch break was even so obvious that ashley asked me about it, and now i just stared at his lips again?! 

i just simply can't stop thinking about him. 

that's the truth. 

i can't stop thinking about his fading green hair, his pretty soft and slightly pink lips, perfect jawline and his smile...

oh god, his smile... 

the most beautiful thing ever. 

fuck. 

i was really into him.   
i was into my best friend. 

the biggest cliché ever. 

a loud snore brings me back from my thoughts. 

josh fell asleep and just snored. 

i cover my mouth with my hand to avoid laughing and waking him up. 

he drank a lot, so this really isn't a surprise. 

i sit up and look at him.   
he's so damn cute. 

one hand under the pillow, the other one by his side, and a beautiful content smile on his perfect face. 

this is so bad, i actually have a huge crush on my best friend.   
i really have a crush on him. 

without hesitation, i take out my phone and text ashley.   
she's the only person i can talk to right now. 

 

tyjo🙇🏻: ash, i need advice 

ashleyyy👸🏼: just a min, making food

tyjo🙇🏻: its about josh, please ash

ashleyyy👸🏼: OoooOoo okay, did u kiss him?

tyjo🙇🏻: what? why would u think that???

ashleyyy👸🏼: oh c'mon ive seen how u look at him at school its obvious

tyjo🙇🏻: no its not

ashleyyy👸🏼: it is, so???

tyjo🙇🏻: well yeah... uhmmmmm, i may think about him a little more than is considered normal...

ashleyyy👸🏼: HA!!! I KNEW IT!!!!

tyjo🙇🏻: wait let me finish ok? rude

ashleyyy👸🏼: ur the one who needs advice tho, i could just leave u know

tyjo🙇🏻: u wont leave, u love the   
drama 

ashleyyy👸🏼: true... im listening

tyjo🙇🏻: well, turns out i have a huge crush on him and i might even be in love with him just a little...

ashleyyy👸🏼: omg !! you have to tell him tyler!!!

tyjo🙇🏻: i dunno... im too scared to do that, what if i ruin our friendship?

ashleyyy👸🏼: okay, i shouldn't be saying this but i will because this is important

tyjo🙇🏻: ?

ashleyyy👸🏼: josh likes u too !!!!!

(read 3:57am)

ashleyyy👸🏼: ty u ok?

ashleyyy👸🏼: tyyyyylerrr please reply

tyjo🙇🏻: he said that?

tyjo🙇🏻: wait, are u sure?? like 100% sure?

ashleyyy👸🏼: yup, trust me, u werent the only one who stared, because he did too. and when i noticed that he stared at u too i asked him about it and he told me

tyjo🙇🏻: for real?

ashleyyy👸🏼: for real. he likes u too 

tyjo🙇🏻: should i tell him about my feelings?

ashleyyy👸🏼: fuck yeah! go for it!

tyjo🙇🏻: rn? 

ashleyyy👸🏼: wait, ur with him??????

tyjo🙇🏻: uhm.... im kind of in his bed 

ashleyyy👸🏼: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

tyjo🙇🏻: HE'S ASLEEP

ashleyyy👸🏼: ok calm down 

tyjo🙇🏻: omg shit

ashleyyy👸🏼: ????? what happened

ashleyyy👸🏼: ?????????????????????

ashleyyy👸🏼: did the aliens take u????? 

tyjo🙇🏻: haha very funny, no i wanted to take a pic of josh sleeping, because hes cute and i wanted to send the pic to u but i forgot to turn off the flash and i almost woke him up

ashleyyy👸🏼: oops, did u wake him tho?

tyjo🙇🏻: no thank god

(read 4:15) 

tyjo🙇🏻: should i wake him up? 

(read 4:38) 

ashleyyy👸🏼: why tf would u wake him up in the middle of the night?

tyjo🙇🏻: first of all, we're having a sleepover so its rude of him to fall asleep instead of having fun with me 

ashleyyy👸🏼: what kind of fun?😏👅💦

tyjo🙇🏻: ashley!! never use those emojis again please

tyjo🙇🏻: and no, not this type of fun AND second of all, i kind of want to tell him how i feel rn

ashleyyy👸🏼: are u sure? its really late

tyjo🙇🏻: i wont be able to fall asleep until i tell him

ashleyyy👸🏼: okay then

ashleyyy👸🏼: text me after ok? i wanna know how it went

tyjo🙇🏻: ok, thanks for the advice :)

ashleyyy👸🏼: np💜 ly!

tyjo🙇🏻🏳️🌈: did u really change my name this quick????

ashleyyy👸🏼: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

tyjo🙇🏻🏳️🌈: fine, wish me luck ash

 

i put my phone down onto the bed and take a deep breath. 

i can feel my hands shaking a bit and i start feeling nervous. 

okay, i can do this.   
josh likes me too, this shouldn't be a problem. 

taking another deep breath, i raise my hand slowly, ready to tap on josh's shoulder and wake him up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! :) hope you guys are having a nice day/night ! 😊🌷⭐️🌻  
> feel free to leave a comment, they are appreciated !! :)


End file.
